


A Way Into a Man's Heart

by CalJoseph



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-01-16 13:13:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21271598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CalJoseph/pseuds/CalJoseph
Summary: He didn't know how or why he returned, or who did it, but what he did know was that this was a chance to redo his life. All that pain and suffering? In the past. Time for a vacation! To explore! To do new things!Why the hell does he miss that little, annoying twerp so much though?





	1. Am Makin' Waffles

**Author's Note:**

> My first ever submitted work within the current Kingdom Hearts Universe. Moved here from fanfiction.net where old submissions gathered dust and hope this one will be my crowning achievement. 
> 
> This will have spoilers for Kingdom Hearts all the way through 3 (minus Re:Mind DLC). And the focus will be our favorite angry kitten, Vanitas. Where you as unsatisfied with his parting as I was? Here's my take on what could have happened after everyone went home, enjoy!

After ten years in the Realm of Darkness, wondering, waiting and fighting for her life, hoping to one day join her loved ones in the Realm of Light, Aqua felt little would cause her to lose her composure in this day and age. 

Having put the threat of Xehanort to rest, laid her Master's Keyblade down and settled into a new, quiet life, Aqua expected the rest of her days to simply be filled with laughter, training and her small family – Terra and Ventus, always by her side. 

She never expected to suddenly stop short in their quaint, little kitchen at the sight of an intruder. 

A familiar intruder at that. 

Making pancakes. 

"Is that coffee I smell?" she asked, her sleep-addled brain just settling for the most normal thing it could think of. 

"Over there, fresh pot." came the response from the intruder as he continued to whisk his batter as if she hadn’t interrupted him. 

Ventus' missing Darkness.

Sora's cynical Doppelganger.

Master of the Unversed. 

Vanitas.

"Should I be worried that my coffee cup is already out?" Aqua asked, redoing her errant night robe to cover herself. She hadn't expected anyone to be up at this hour – maybe Terra, who was still so guilt ridden at times that he woke up and trained himself into exhaustion some days – but never, ever, this one.

A shrug was all she got for her question. 

She sighed. 

The current Keyblade Master turned to watch the intruder – she still wasn't sure if she was asleep and dreaming or awake – and watched the other. 

Vanitas was tense, she could tell. Shoulders taught despite how nonchalant his face attempted to be; and now that she noticed, the darkling's helmet was missing, his face, eyes and hair were all there for her to see. She noted a myriad of studs in his ears in its place however and thought that they suited him.

"I wonder..." she thought, rubbing her own naked ears and pondering whether or not to indulge some time, Radiant Garden had some very nice ones the last time she’d gone... 

"It's not poisoned you know, I'd at least be subtle enough to not be here when you're drinking it if it were." Vanitas suddenly said and Aqua startled, gripping her cup to her chest and holding the pot handle a bit more firmly. 

"That's true," she admitted before finally pouring a decent amount of the heavenly smelling liquid into her cup. "There's also a severe lack of maniacal laughter and threats on your part..." she added. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked before taking a sip of her coffee. 

Which she promptly spat. 

"Fuck!" she cursed, hand futilely fanning at her mouth, causing Vanitas to startle and laugh at her. 

"Wow, Master Aqua has a potty mouth in the morning, does she?" he asked with a grin, watching as the woman wiped her chin with a nearby napkin. "Too hot and strong for you, princess?" 

"Hot, yes. Strong? I'd fucking love the whole pot, like, twice a day." she replied, downing half of her cup as gently as possible and heaving a sigh of contentment. "This is a really good blend," she sighed. "Please tell me you brought more." she asked, turning her pleading blue eyes at him. 

She shouldn't feel that happy to see him squirm. 

"Course I did..." he mumbled, pointing to a ceramic pot that when uncovered showed the beans for this particular batch. 

She will deny squealing in happiness and hugging and sniffing the pot until she finally dies. 

"Now, aside from you uncovering my love of dark and bitter coffee..." Aqua said, interrupted by Vanitas' snort of amusement. 

"I expected you to drown it in sugar and milk to be honest." he told her. 

Aqua scoffed, happily sitting on the counter top, next to the coffee maker and sipping the last of her current cup before topping it up once more. 

"Please, I like my coffee like I like my men..." she suddenly blurted out, blushing and biting her lip, staring eye wide at the other man. 

Vanitas blinked. 

Then leaned against the counter as he openly, unabashedly, laughed. 

And boy wasn't that a sight and a half?

The boy originally cloaked in darkness – in sneers and in anger, with blood-lust and pain in his features, twisted and cruel – laughed so openly to her embarrassment and admission in a manner that was almost friendly; so like the boy he took his face from. 

"Oh fuck, I..." he coughed into his fist, slapping his hand against his leg. "...I will NEVER let you forget this, you know this, right?" he told her. 

Aqua sighed, just taking a second sip of the now perfectly warmed coffee and waiting for the other boy – creature? Huh, and there was her train of thought, back in the station. 

"So...why am I not shoving a Keyblade into your ass, Vanitas?" she pointedly asked while sipping the delicious coffee the boy-creature-of-darkness had brought. 

Said boy chuckled somewhat nervously, leaning against her counter again and tapping a finger against his chin. 

"Cuz I'm making fuckin' waffles for you degenerates." he answered. 

Huh. Okay, so, not pancakes. 

Guess she could still be pleasantly surprised. 

~o~

Vanitas wasn’t entirely convinced that this was a good idea – to sneak into the home of who he should consider his enemies and use their kitchen without so much as a by your leave – however, he was already here, inside the castle, in the kitchen, and his plan already in motion. 

And he managed to snag the most paranoid of them fairly quickly. 

Point 1 for Vanitas. 

So far so good. 

It was not how he envisioned this morning to go however... 

He’d portaled into the foyer in the early hours and made a somewhat panicked walk towards where he knew the kitchen to be; being the undisputed Master of the Unversed served a lot of purposes and sneaking them into corners and shadows to watch his quarry was one of them, so learning the layout of the place had been easy. 

Once he’d arrived though, his brain kind of stuttered. 

What to make? What to do? Holy shit what if I poison them?

“All right, calm down, no need to spaz out...just...haven’t even started.” he huffed, staring into the unblinking lightning bolt eyes of Red, the little crimson colored Flood that followed him everywhere. “So, what first?” He asked it. 

And then the genius little thing had pointed to the coffee maker, and the rest had been history. 

The duffel he’d brought was summarily put down and emptied, the coffee beans from The Deep Jungle were put to brew and stashed nearby for anyone who wanted more, the crock pot he’d brought was put on a hot plate next to the sink and the pre-prepared beef stew was dumped, seasoned and watered so that they’d have a meal for later. 

Cuz he’s nice. 

And Ventus needs more meat in his life. 

And then the eggs and the flour and the fruits and the creams – he’ll make waffles this morning, and eggs, and fuck he forgot the meats… 

“And why the hell don’t they have a proper frying pan,” he cursed, taking out the pots and pans in their hardly used kitchen and finding them lacking.

“You,” he said, summoning a Bruiser from the void. “Get me my usual stuff, especially the skillet, got it?” he ordered it, starting to whisk his batter away while he waited; another good thing of being able to summon his own horde of minions, he didn’t have to order them too much, they knew what he knew, saved a lot in explanations. 

And then Aqua had stepped in, and his chest and his body froze, yellow eyes locked right on to his most dangerous target. 

And she’d fallen so easy – though if he recalled correctly, none of them were morning people. 

Especially Ventus. 

She’d been wary of course, suspicious as always, but so friendly it freaked him out even more. Her face when she’d actually said something funny was both priceless and confusing; she looked, surprised, which was a given considering he was more prone to maniacal fits of laughter than anything, and confusing because she looked oddly...fond? Of course, most morons got sappy when they stared at his face long enough...it was _his_ face after all. 

“Cuz I’m making fuckin’ waffles for you degenerates.” he’d found himself saying. 

And wow, he’s still alive. 

“Waffles, huh...I expected pancakes.” she replied.

“Why pancakes?” Vanitas asked with a scoff, happy with the consistency of his batter and putting plastic over it for when the waffle maker got here. 

“Dunno, just...they're the easier, less fancy cousin? I thought you'd go for easy." she replied. "I’m more a crepes girl though…” she added. 

Vanitas had little to say that but shelved the information for later. 

“Anyway,”

“So…” 

They both said and looked at each other, and damned if he didn’t smirk a bit at her as she grinned. 

As Aqua opened her mouth to say something however he would forget even that they were talking since the whole reason he’d even dared to do this whole breakfast debacle just showed up. 

“Aqua...what smells so good…?” 

And there he was, in all his pasty assed glory, walking into the kitchen with his dark, blonde hair looking worse than usual and no shirt covering his torso, causing him to stare at every nick and cut and muscle his toned arms and torso had to offer. 

‘_Calm down, deep breath, holy shit why is my chest hammering so fucking hard. Am I dying?’_

His throat was dry and when he tried to greet his thrice-damned Light, a cough more than words came out of his mouth. 

And then Ventus' blue-green eyes suddenly found him and he gulped, watching them blink the sleep away and go wide. 

"Hey, uh...hey Ventus…" and holy shit wasn't that a lame ass opening. 

"Aqua…" Ventus said, not taking his eyes off of Vanitas; was his voice a little deeper, less boyish? Was he finally growing some, he wondered? 

"Ven…" Aqua said and oh right, she's here too. "Vanitas here is making us waffles." she announced. 

Ventus blinked. 

Then hissed in pain as he pinched himself. 

"I'm not dreaming?" the blond asked himself. 

"Nope, even if this coffee is out of this world…" she muttered, taking another sip. 

"Ah, yeah, here…" Vanitas suddenly said, walking to Aqua, feeling those blue-green eyes boring into his back as he grabbed the emerald green cup, filled half of it with coffee, added some cream and three spoons of sugar. 

"I really need to know how you know how he takes his coffee…" the blue-haired Keyblade Master commented and he paid her no mind as he walked towards his Ve-Ventus, towards Ventus, and handed him his mug. 

"Here," he told him, giving Ventus his mug and watching intently as he took it, those eyes still not leaving him as he took an experimental sip and then a much longer gulp. 

"Whoa, that's really fucking good." Ventus sighed. 

"Language." both Aqua and Vanitas chorused, causing Ventus to laugh. 

"Potty mouths, both of you, you're all still not fond of mornings I see." he said, and he really shouldn't have turned his back, but the coffee should have kept him occupied, yet why would it when Vanitas himself was just too hyper aware of his Other? 

His Light half.

The body he was ripped away from.

The yin to his yang. 

Having his hand held by him should not feel this...good. 

"Hey," Ventus looked as lost for words as he did, squeezing his fingers intently until he turned back, holding their hands and fingers in a firmer tangle. "Uh...hey…" Ventus weakly continued, looking up at eerily familiar yellow eyes. 

"Hey yourself," Vanitas replied, staring back at a face that was not as round as he remembered. 

"You got taller…" the blond said dumbly, causing his long time friend in the corner to snort into her coffee. 

"It...happens, or so I read…" Vanitas said, noting that yes, whereas before they were the same height, the darker of the two now stood an inch or two taller than the other. "You're still too skinny though," he sighed. "Moron." he added with a smirk. 

The smile he received shouldn't make him as happy as it does. 

"It really is you." Ventus whispered in wonder, his free hand getting closer and closer to Vanitas' face and he desperately wished he had his helmet right now, because why the hell was he going to touch his face and why did he want him to? And… 

"Who's this?" Vanitas came back to the present at the question and blinked, the hand he still had in his grasp was suddenly gone as both of them were holding Red, the small Flood having popped out from under the hood of his jacket to sniff and chitter at Ventus; the same Flood that was now being held by his Other. 

He shouldn't feel both elated and jealous right now, right? 

"That's uh, Red...one of my rejects…" and taking the escape for what it was, Vanitas retreated behind the kitchen island, mentally yelling for the Bruiser he'd sent home to hurry the fuck up. 

"Red?" Aqua asked with a snort of amusement. 

"Aw, don't call him a reject." Ventus chided at the same time. "He's kinda cute, definitely cuddlier than the usual ones." he chuckled. 

And Vanitas could feel how elated the Flood was to be so near Ventus, could feel how warm the blond felt and it was maddening. 

"You always thought they were cute, Ven, it was aggravating." Aqua added, looking to Vanitas as she said it. "I felt bad too, and then totally forgot about it when my clothes were set on fire." 

"I think for me it was the ones that looked like boots, man…" Ventus added, sitting on the bar stool opposite Vanitas with Red on his lap, petting it. 

He was tempted to kill the little shit just so he didn't feel those fingers on his head too. 

"Hey, it wasn't a picnic for me either, old geezer was crazy but still all about the world order, you try making monsters that match the worlds we went to," Vanitas said, adding to the growing argument of most absurd Unversed he'd made. 

And then the Bruiser showed up. 

"Finally!" Vanitas exclaimed, the bulky monster suddenly popping in from the dark with a crate full of appliances for him. 

Ven and Aqua hardly bat an eye at the appearance of the Bruiser, watching as it lumbered towards its Master who took all the items it carried from the crate and then watched as it simply stood next to their fridge like a large but silent sentinel. 

"So, I'm going to guess you run an Unversed Catering Company." Aqua suddenly said from her perch on the counter, making Ventus' snort into Red's head to cover his laughter. 

"Hardy-har-har, no, I don't." Vanitas replied, settling his skillet on the stove and expertly began to, to the surprise of the other two occupants, pour a pre-prepared egg mixture on said skillet, sprinkling different types of chopped vegetables into it. "That'd be poor marketing since I'm pretty sure we're in a history book somewhere." he added as he pushed the egg mixture around to keep it as scrambled and fluffy as possible, salt and pepper being sprinkled evenly to it. 

"Aqua, I'm seriously not dreaming, am I?" Ventus asked, not even bothering to lower his voice. 

Not wanting to miss the show entirely, Aqua moved across Vanitas and sat to Ven's right, watching from her own stool behind the kitchen island as the once-mad demon twirled a knife in his hand and cut strips of bacon to start sizzling on a flat griddle, the smell causing her stomach to grumble harshly. 

"No Ven, my stomach wouldn't be trying to kill me otherwise." she replied. 

"And you're probably the wrong guy to be starring in her dreams...or me for that matter." Vanitas added with glee, watching the woman choke on her coffee. 

"Who wouldn't want a shirtless Terra in an apron appearing in their dreams though?" Ventus asked like it was the most normal thing in the world, and he couldn't help but let out a loud, shocked laugh at that, and had to let the Bruiser take over the eggs for a minute as he totally lost his composure because Aqua was mock-strangling Ven with a harsh blush on her face. 

Yet somehow, through half-closed, watery eyes – because fuck, he never, ever expected that kind of comment from Ven – those blue-green colored eyes never left him, as if he was a wonder with how wide they were, even while clutching the hands around his throat by the wrist, a grin splitting his face. 

"So..." Vanitas coughed. "...Ventus knows your dirty little secret too?" he asked, happily drinking his favorite fruit mixture from a thermos he brought (he was paranoid, ok?) to soothe his parched throat. 

"Knows!? This little shit promised never to tell a soul...AFTER he told me the same thing!" Aqua almost screeched, letting the unashamed Ven go and going back to the pot of coffee for more of the 'deliciousness'. 

Vanitas stared at Ven, eyebrow raised. 

"We've had a lot of talks since we came back." was all the boy said, nodding 'sagely' at Vanitas while petting Red, who'd fled at the sight of Aqua choking Ven and promptly returned when deemed safe enough. 

"Apparently so." Vanitas said, pushing the Bruiser off the food. "You're doing better." he told it and was amused at how Ven stared, a bit disgusted, a bit fascinated, as the thick but blubbery skin of the Bruiser rippled at the praise. 

Vanitas resumed pushing the eggs around his skillet until he had a large enough scramble, flipped the pieces of bacon so they were even and then sprayed the waffle maker with the non-stick spray before remembering something. 

"I've added a nifty little gadget to your kitchen by the way." he said, looking to Aqua. 

"It's not rigged to explode is it? I don't think I can do explosions this morning." she told him, walking to Vanitas and looking to where he pointed, on the side of the island. 

A small box with a lightning bolt on it. 

"Is this to power machinery using magic?" she asked, dropping down to stare at the little thing in wonder, giving it a small poke. 

"Yep. I'm all for letting them Radiant Garden peeps coming in here and helping you backwater bozos become a bit more self-sufficient, but that generator they gave you was old. I've had to replace a lot of crap in this place." 

An intake of breath.

A squeeze on his arm. 

"Vanitas, how long have you been spying on us?" Aqua asked with her 'Master Voice' as he called it. 

"...I lost count." was his quick reply, pulling his arm out of her grip and pouring a ladle of the batter he'd made into the waffle iron. "...you're welcome though." 

"I knew I wasn't going crazy!" Ventus suddenly exclaimed, causing Red to tumble out of his arms and to find a perch atop the Bruiser's head. "I knew I saw a Yellow Mustard running around! And you thought I was just hungry!" he pointed dramatically at Aqua, who huffed, her eyes boring into Vanitas. 

"How. Long?" she asked again. 

"Look, it's kind of hard to keep track of days when worlds don't share a time zone, okay? For all I know I've been back weeks in one place, months and years for others, and I stopped counting, all right? Just take it as 'a while'." he added before shoving a completed plate at her: eggs, bacon and a perfectly cooked waffle. "Toppings are next to you, enjoy." 

With a withering glare Aqua took her plate, almost but not quite stomped to get a fork for herself, a can of whipped cream and returned to her seat next to Ventus. 

"That looks so good..." Ventus mock-whispered, watching as Aqua took her first bite... 

And her forehead thunk'd into the counter top. 

"This is so unfair!" she exclaimed.

"What's unfair is that smell wafting into every crevice and no one coming to get me." the deep baritone of Terra's voice suddenly rang, startling everyone to look at the large, open entrance to the kitchen. 

"By all that's good and proper man, put those things away!" Vanitas dramatically exclaimed with a smirk, looking at both Ventus and Aqua who stuttered and stared at the shirtless and damp Terra before getting ahold of themselves. 

"What?" Terra said with an oblivious blink. 

"You look like you just came back from vigorous training with the villagers down in town, something to tell us Terra? Been terrorizing the milk maids again?" Ventus added with a gleam of mischief that Vanitas couldn't help but enjoy. 

"The milk maids, the farm hands, the local fruit vendor – all of them! Their days just full of firm, meaty pillows." Vanitas snickered, waggling his eyebrows at Ventus who was laughing. 

Terra looked to Aqua as the sane one in the room, wanting to know exactly what his self-proclaimed kid brother and his bratty other self were on about but she looked like a flushed mess while she inhaled her breakfast, not even looking at him. 

"So...ignoring this bout of insanity, Vanitas, hello, you're looking well for someone whom we thought was dead." the man replied, shrugging off the current topic, much to the apparent chagrin of the two youngest members of the room, and continued to towel his shorter hair down. "Though, considering whom spawned you, I shouldn't be too surprised." 

"Don't worry, you didn't have any clandestine trysts at night under your old, wrinkly guise to re-spawn me." Vanitas replied, handing a plate full to a grabby-hand flailing Ventus who took it gratefully. 

"You'd be much more relaxed if you had been." Ventus added, causing Vanitas to snort and Aqua to cough harshly before tucking into his own food. "Fucking Davy Jones' tit this is good!" he exclaimed before also shoving the food down his mouth. 

"Wow..." Vanitas blinked. 

"I do hope I'm not being left out here. These two look like they've never eaten before." 

Vanitas jumped as he turned to the side, staring straight at the middle of Terra's chest, noting the two thumb sized, dark nipples there and looking up at the amused face of the man attached to them. 

"Seriously, you need to be arrested for walking around like this." Vanitas muttered, taking a step back and poking the man on his right pec. "...and of course it's hard as a rock." he added, side-eyeing Aqua who just shoved a rather large piece of waffle into her mouth. 

And he's flexing. Totally flexing as he crosses his arms. 

"...Ventus, he's not as stupid as he looks." Vanitas called as he stared at the muscle there. 

"I know," was the food-muffled reply. "Terra knows he's indecent, we've called him out too much about it for him not to be." 

"It's my house." Terra said. 

"Your house is a fucking castle." Vanitas countered. "And you bench press shit in the front foyer where you know the locals come and tend to the gardens, who have a perfect view of it!" he added. 

"How long Vanitas, I swear to Triton!" Aqua suddenly burst out with, clanging her utensils on the counter and rattling her plate. 

"Long enou-Merlin have mercy." Vanitas clammed up, feeling Terra's abnormally large hand on his shoulder. 

"Any chance I can get some of that bacon before it burns?" he asked with a grin, and Vanitas gulped, because he's seen that face before in too many different scenarios to ever be comfortable with it. 

With a nod, he prepared Terra a plate with a bit more of the food to go with it - the man was built like a tank, he'd need more. 

"Seconds?" he asked the other two, Ventus had no shame in asking for more, Aqua huffed and mumbled before asking for more, sans waffle. 

"We don't usually eat this well in the morning." she added defensively.

And he couldn't help it, really.

"I know, Cereal Princess." he smirked.

He only barely dodged that fireball.

  
  
  



	2. The Talk - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ventus drags Vanitas out of the kitchen and to his bedroom to finally get some answers. Sparks of the emotional kind ensue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is Chapter 2! Thanks to lovely feedback I have edited Chapter 1 and will continue to do so moving forward. Thank you to everyone for their comments and kudos!
> 
> On with the story!

After suitably filling the stomachs of the three most annoying annoyances in all the Worlds, Vanitas leaned against the counter with a sigh, staring at them while picking at the fruit bowl he'd brought for himself.

"You're not going to eat?" Terra had asked when he'd first noticed him do it.

"I ate before I left." was his reply.

A lie. He was too nervous to eat, so he retreated to his safe zone of fruits.

But now all three of them were done, with Ventus patting Red, Aqua nursing her 9th cup of coffee, Terra his third (which he drowned it in milk and sugar).

And they were doing a horrible job in staring at him in curiosity.

"Fine, one question each. Damn." he caved.

They looked at each other too smugly after.

"I don't get to elaborate, you ask, I answer, that's all."

"Where have you been?" Aqua asked, and Vanitas was grateful she dropped asking how long he’d been hanging around with her question.

"Twilight Town." he replied.

All three of them looked surprised at that but none more than Ventus, who's face twisted between shock, sadness, a hint of anger and confusion.

"Why cook us breakfast? Not that we aren't grateful. You might just have doomed yourself to be our chef." Terra asked and said with a calm smile, dipping the last of his fourth waffle into his coffee to nibble on.

"Wanted to." was Vanitas' short and sweet reply. Aqua looked disgruntled but Terra just looked amused.

"...you want to stay for a bit and talk?" Ventus asked and all three of them just stared at him in shock.

Well, and also choke as Vanitas inhaled a blueberry that went down the wrong hole. The Bruiser helpfully smacked his back and he managed to swallow the deadly berry before staring at Ventus in silence.

"Well?" he asked again, that hard, determined glint that used to piss him off right there in his eyes.

Red skittered back to him and settled back in the hoodie of his jacket, feeling his rising nerves, he set his body into his neck and he breathed, allowing for his emotions to settle as Red absorbed some of them.

"Yeah, sure." he managed to croak out.

He turned to the sink and pulled at the sleeves of his jacket, hoping to distract himself with the dishes and settle his brain before even thinking of what they would even talk about…

But of course, he forgot his luck had run out years ago.

"You don't have to do that, you cooked, we'll clean." Aqua said from behind and next to him, settling her robe more firmly on her body and then pulling him away from the sink.

"Yeah, it's the least we can do." Terra added, having gathered the plates, cups and cutlery.

"...hot water and soap for the skillet, same with the griddle, don't use a harsh sponge, wipe it with a soft cloth. The waffle iron just a damp paper towel. Let Bruiser help if he gets antsy." was all Vanitas could say. "Half this shit ain't mine, I borrowed it before you ask." he added.

And then, all of a sudden, he was being escorted out by Ventus putting a hand on his arm, leading him out of the kitchen and through the winding corridors of the castle they lived in, his chest hammering away.

"Is it bad that I only feel a little afraid for him?" Aqua asked as she began to fill the sink with water. "He looked like we just sent him to his death."

"You wouldn't be you if you didn't," Terra said with a smile, chuckling at the 'aw, you stupid sap' she threw his way. "I think he'll be fine. He's, as always, just here for Ven." he confessed.

"Right...and I'm worried but not as worried as I expected to be." 

"Probably because me and my pecs are here to protect you." Terra mock-whispered.

"Fuck you too, Terra." Aqua hissed, throwing the tea towel at him and stomping off and away, veering in the opposite direction that Ventus and Vanitas took at the last minute.

Terra sighed.

"I'll wash, you dry?" he asked the Bruiser who took the towel from Terra and settled to help.

~o~

Vanitas walked beside Ventus in silence, words had left him around the second twist of a corridor and all he could do was follow along, lock eyes with his Other who kept staring back at him and then at the path they were taking and back again.

  
  


He wondered idly if the blonde's feet hurt since he'd walked this whole way barefoot or if he was used to it. He wondered why Ventus kept squeezing and rubbing at his bicep, and why that made him indescribably happy and flushed.

  
  


What kind of spell was he under, he wondered. He wondered.

  
  


"All right, we're here." Ventus suddenly announced and he blinked.

  
  


"This isn't your bedroom." was the first thing he blurted out. Smooth.

  
  


Ventus grinned, throwing his hands behind his head in his signature pose and Vanitas couldn't help but stare at how that showed off the fine hairs under his arms and accentuate said arms more.

  
  


"So you haven't been spying that long? I moved rooms a long time ago. Too many memories in the old one." Ventus admitted.

  
  


In reality, Vanitas hadn't looked for Ventus' room except for the first and last time he saw him there after his return. The urge to strangle him and not was too strong then; he wanted to be more settled before he attempted to see Ventus again.

  
  


He didn't think he was ready now.

  
  


"Well, you gonna invite me in or what?" Vanitas asked, crossing his arms and going for snark to fill the silence.

  
  


"Are you part vampire now?" Ventus asked rather excitedly, getting into his darker other's space. "Is that how you're back?" 

  
  


Vanitas sighed. Showed off his admittedly sharp canines. And flicked Ventus on the nose

  
  


"Don't be stupid."

  
  


Ventus rubbed his nose but chuckled, then nodded and stepped into his bedroom, Vanitas close behind.

  
  


"Holy shit." he breathed out in shock.

  
  


"You like it?" Ventus asked, somehow nervous but excited.

  
  


The room was much larger than the old, much more,  it was tall and open as opposed to the boxed-in feeling the previous room gave off . It still had some of the old knick knacks in it: the tiki mask, the pirate ship, the empty bird cage, the glowing world orb. But it also had more plants, three walls full of floor to ceiling bookshelves  stacked with a myriad of books, a globe chandelier, the window faced the new town that grew at the base of the castle, and the bed was actually round instead of square, nestled right under the window. The desk was also a mess to the left, full of books, scrolls, notebooks and pens.

  
  


"Ven, what…"

  
  


"When we came back and tried to settle, I...I couldn't sit still, I couldn't sleep. I slept for so long. I was afraid this was all a dream. Every time I woke up in my old room, I expected the Master to be here, or for Terra to look not as haunted, for Aqua to not look as tired, I expected you to just show up to taunt me. I hated it.

  
  


So, after too many nightmares, we tried just, traveling a bit, and then the logical bit of changing my room, and this one fits the best. And then I started to fill it up, I wanted everything that I missed out on, and well, here it is…"

  
  


Ventus waved his hands around and shrugged.

  
  


"And the bed?" Vanitas asked, noting how it took a lot of its spot.

  
  


"Don't laugh, but I couldn't handle the square beds much, thought I was boxed in...saw something in Agrabah I wanted to emulate and this was the result…" he shrugged again. "It's comfy." he added, blushing lightly.

  
  


Vanitas chuckled.

  
  


"I won't blame you for wanting comfy. None of my stuff belongs to me anyway, so I can't say I ever picked a piece of furniture." he said while going towards the bookcases, looking closely at every spine and every title, finger drawing down them as he found plenty that called out to him, nerves forgotten in lieu of books to be explored.

For his part, Ventus couldn't help but stare at Vanitas while sat crossed legged on his bed. He was fascinated. His mind was a whirl of thought and silence all at once. 

Gone was the rage, the anger, the mocking – or at least they weren't being used, they weren't aimed, both used as sword and shield by his Other. He looked, dare he say it, calm. 

The clothes were the most jarring thing – black and sturdy boots, dark blue jeans and a black jacket with a black shirt underneath. The color wasn't shocking, just the fact that he did not have the suit he usually wore. No Black Cloak. He was walking around with casual wear. 

He itched to tear it off, to see if it was all skin underneath – would he be smooth? Hairy? Rough? Lean, like him? Or muscled, like Terra? (Just not as bulky, obviously). And where had the suit gone? His Keyblade? Was it all gone somewhere? And his helmet? He had studs in his ears and some necklaces around his neck, so it's like he switched out the helmet for them, was it conscious? Was it gone too? Why was it so wonderful to stare at his open face? Had he appeared in Twilight Town, naked and confused, and found out by the others... 

He frowned. 

"So, Twilight Town, huh?" and he didn't mean for it to sound as bitter as it came out, his fingers twisting around his ankles. 

Vanitas looked up from his perusal and didn't seem to notice – or care – about the tone, only the question. He sighed. 

"I guess I should be thankful I'm going to get the third degree from you and not from the other two." Vanitas said, looking at Ventus and clicking his tongue. "What do you want to know, exactly?" he asked, suddenly tense. 

"You were gone. Your last words to me were that you'd be with us forever because you were our shadow. But you left, you..." Ventus bit back the words he didn't dare mutter out loud, had only just realized how much he burned to say them. The possibility of him coming back had never been a testament of truth – only a dream.

And yet, here he was.

“Yeah, I did.” Vanitas replied, looking wistful and Ven sucked a breath at how emotive the other was, and how much he enjoyed seeing it so clearly. “Finally free of the old man, of his expectations, of that gnawing need...of the Unversed...” he sighed, feeling Red stir and finally jump around to explore. “Believe me, I wasn’t expecting to make any sort of come back either – this whole time and reincarnation bull shit was His deal, not mine.” he shrugged, looking down at the book he’d picked for the moment, so that he at least didn’t have to look at the rather intense stare he was getting.

“So...He’s not back, like, at all, right?” Ven asked and the surety of Vanitas’ nod let him breathe just a tad easier.

No one wanted Xehanort back – the man looked at peace enough, having left with their Master, to hopefully never darken their door steps again…

Wait.

“Sora!” Ventus suddenly burst out and he couldn’t quite stop the laugh that escaped him at the utter disgust and disgruntled look Vanitas wore when he said it. “Oh my god, just...”

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up you asshole!” he snarled, throwing the book he had at Ventus who barely managed to roll away from its trajectory. “Do you know how much I had to HEAR that fucking pathetic moron’s name _every. Fucking. Time. _I went world-hopping? Sure, fooled plenty of people, but they wouldn’t _stop_ comparing!” he growled, a flame of darkness almost spitting right out of his mouth as his yellow eyes flashed. “The little happy-go-lucky gnat!”

“Wow, you’re really sour about him, huh?” Ven asked.

“Aren’t you!?” Vanitas yelled. “The kid saved your life, sure – but you slept in the moron’s heart this whole time because he had no idea what he was doing! And I...I...” he huffed, and that puff turned into a real flame as he did it. Vanitas’ body shook with the unbridled rage that the reminder of who’s face he had brought him.

The realization that he didn’t know who he looked like…

That he didn’t look like ‘himself’…

Accepting his face…

And then realizing that his face and his body were just borrowed, molded, shaped and then flung like a weapon.

That he didn’t look like – that he wasn’t – Ventus anymore…

“Vanitas...”

“That is NOT my name!” he roared, his emotions getting the better of him as a gaggle of blue hued Floods appeared at his feet, screeching and jumping and lashing out at Ventus’ whose mirth had dropped to panic and dread at the scene. “You fucking shit, I knew this was a bad idea!” he yelled in anger and panic, stomping on a Flood and hissing in pain – a pain he knew all too well and felt through his entire being.

The sudden bite of magic and darkness brought a chill to Ventus’ spine, forced him into a ready stance, the tingle and song of his Keyblades, begging to come out was right there, in the palm of his hand – the memory of it all: the jagged, angry, hurtful words, the clang of Keyblades, the taunts, the heart hammering feeling of if he’d make it out alive – he could see the Vanitas that he had seen in the past in this one. His mind screamed at him that he was a fool, that he should not have trusted such a calm, collected and charming doppelganger of his doppelganger to be anything but who he was.

And yet, as always, he followed his Heart.

And his Heart told him that he was looking at a wounded animal – behind the rage, and the fire and the Unversed, he could see the sadness and anger in those eyes – and maybe, maybe that had always been there. But that mask, and the Puppeteer behind him, had never let him see it. His Heart wept, it screamed ‘Help him!’, and if there was anything he had learned in the years since his Sleep, it was to always follow his Heart.

And so without thought any more thought, he clenched his body from a fight position and rushed to Vanitas and gripped his arms tightly, pulling his shaking body towards his own and away from the circle of Unversed he kept angrily stomping on; an action that kept fueling his anger, it seemed. “Just breathe, okay! Breathe! Please, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean anything by bringing him up.” he expressed rather desperately, feeling the tremors of his dark-half’s body as Red suddenly, swiftly and without mercy dispatched his brethren.

“You’re a shit, you know that?” he hissed out, gripping Ventus’ forearms for dear life as he tried to calm the raging storm of emotions that suddenly crashed into him. He dug his nails into the arms he held onto each time Red killed one of the other Floods, the pain as quick but as biting as a paper cut each time. “Why the fuck bring him up of all people?” he asked.

“Just, something that popped into my head, honestly I’m sorry – if I knew he was a sore spot for you, I wouldn’t have brought him up.” Ventus replied, stepping closer into the other’s space. He took note of how he tried to hide his face, to look down, how he dug his nails into his arms each time a Flood died.

Was it bad that he was enjoying this a little? To see and feel and watch Vanitas have such...normal, human reactions to just a few words? Excepting the creation of beings that can kill at his command of course.

“Fuck is...just...uh...” he had to blink at the sudden pair of hands on his face, his eyes focusing on the sole reason that he’d come here once more. “Wha...”

“Breathe, yeah? You have to do that now I bet – did you used to?” Ventus found himself asking, silently marveling at the slight feeling of fuzz under the fingers nearest to his other’s chin, almost giddy as more boxes about him where checked. “I’m not going to raise my Keyblade here, it’s just us, the other Floods are gone...”

“What kind of question...” he snorted, dumbfounded at how stupid Ventus can still be. Moronic. Idiotic. Pathetic.

He had to laugh.

And suddenly Ventus yelped as he grabbed him, his arms vice-like as he held unto him – he could feel the air escape him as he squeezed. He could feel his body slowly relax as he did this, as he hugged him. He could feel how warm he was, how he smelled of dirt and leaves and sleep, always sleep. He squirmed a little when he buried his nose into his neck to really breathe him in and laughed against him when he squeezed.

“You...you’re so weird...” Ventus said, letting his shock, awe and hammering heart go as he circled his own arms across the top of the other’s shoulders. “...and taller than me, how are you taller than me?” he muttered.

“It’s the boots...” he mumbled against Ventus’ shoulder.

“Should take them off then, and the jacket now that I think on it, aren’t you warm?” Ventus asked, and damn if that idea didn’t make his stomach drop and flip and flutter; his face had felt warm, smooth yet sharp with a ghost of stubble, and what he’d felt of those arms on the way here…

“...a little...” he admitted, slowly letting go of Ventus but not of the grip he’d had on his arms. “...sorry...” he added, taking a breath and blowing it out.

“No, no, I’m sorry...I...you clearly have a lot to tell me.” he replied, looking up at the slight difference between them and smiling. “And I, well, I want to listen, we have all the time in the worlds now and...”

_No reason to fight each other anymore._

“Right, right...” he nodded.

“So...what do I call you…?” Ventus asked, only slightly teasing.

Vanitas let go of him and huffed, a bit of color coming to his cheeks and Ven could not help but snicker at that.

“Can we ignore that, please? Just, forget I said that.” Vanitas added, rubbing the back of his neck nervously and a tad embarrassed that he even blurted that out.

“I’ll drag it out of you eventually, you know that right? Vani?” he had to add.

Vanitas blinked, stared, then smile-smirked.

“Fine, but if I find anyone else calling me that, it’s your head.” he threatened while moving away from Ventus, Red at his heels. And Ven found it wasn’t heated, but playful, and the hope and the glee he felt since this morning kept jumping around in his chest.

He watched as Vanitas did as asked and sat on the edge of his bed, boots coming off to reveal socked feet – and he only _mildly_ disappointed, because why would he go bare foot in boots? - and then could not take his eyes off the arms that were revealed as the hoodie slid off: a sleeveless, black colored top that showed off his arms, arms that were thick with muscle, a sharp contrast to his own toned but skinny arms.

He got caught in those yellow eyes that stared at him, that trapped him as he stared.

He might have drooled a little too.

Damned hormones.

“So...” Ven said, speed walking to and sitting next to Vanitas who had fallen back on his bed, eyes closed and seemingly trying out the bed for himself. “...you’re really unfair, you know that…” he couldn’t help but add.

Damn that smirk.

“Why?” Vanitas asked.

“...you have arm pit hair...” Ven mumbled only slightly petulantely.

Vanitas barked out a laugh – he might have sighed at the sound.

“I have some height on you, some body hair and just a better sense of style, plus a job and you think I’m unfair?” he asked, one very amused eye staring back at his pouting Other.

“...Yeah...” Ven said, arms and legs crossed.

“Moron.” he replied, pinching an exposed ankle. “Lemme start this story then before I lose it again...”

“Sure, yes, please, I’m dying to know here!” Ven exclaimed.

“So, basically went from you bozos beating me, to nothing to sudden light...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time on KHZ - The Flashback Chapter! 
> 
> As you can possibly tell, I love Vanitas' character and concept, especially in fandom. He was done dirty in my opinion - every time he was on screen, I just wanted more, and that ending for him? Please. So I'll definitely be exploring my thoughts and ideas on what he went through, so definitely not the last time he'll explode. Special thanks to my KH image board on Pinterest as well! xD
> 
> Until the next!


	3. Return of Darkness, Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanitas starts to recount the tale of what he went through once he awoke after the battle with Ventus providing commentary with rapt attention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! My apologies for the wait but the muse strikes when she strikes! This will be Part 1 of the flashback chapter, as I thought it appropriate to give the next piece it's own attention. Luckily it's all being written in one go!
> 
> As for writing this after ReMind? I've analyzed the new add ons to the Vanitas fight against my story and I am not going to look into it too hard, so this will all be my ideas for canon, after all. 
> 
> Do please enjoy it as always! And everyone keep yourselves safe, healthy and well.

* * *

The feeling of fading away is a comforting one.

Pain.

Life.

Feeling.

It all goes away.

I remember thinking that I’d probably just fade away - I am not the Vanitas you knew - I was a time-displaced thing. Not quite the one who was destroyed by you, not quite the one that had been absorbed by you. 

I was content with fading into nothingness, to join the abyss.

To not have to be someone else's puppet, someone else's face, to just be part of the endless nothing...

And then I felt sand.

* * *

Little by little, I felt all of that life and feeling come back to me. As if all of my sense of self was underwater.

The first thing I felt was sand under me, it was everywhere: under my head, my back, my hands; if I moved anything, I felt sand.

Next was the smell: salty and wet - it was new to me, I had never smelt this before. I took lung fulls of it.

Then the sound: water coming and going, rushing, the wind filling and flitting wherever it was that I was, like a cavernous yawn.

My mouth tasted salty and dry, and it finally clicked on me: sand and sea.

Finally, I opened my eyes, blinked them until I was able to see well enough.

I was inside a large cavern, near the coast where the sand kept lapping at my toes, my body shivering heavily from it. Once I sat up, it felt a switch flipped and everything fell into focus: my body wracked itself from the cold, my arms failing to shield me from anything, and that’s when I noticed…

My suit was gone - I was completely bare.

My heart started thundering in my chest - blood pumped through my body like wildfire.

‘ _how am i alive? where am i? who am i? why is it so cold? why am i here? where is everyone? is the old man here? dead? alive? where is ventus? where am i?’_

On and on my panic and my thoughts circled and circled, my heart thundering harder and faster, my breaths coming in labored and harsh.

And then I realized one more thing: Not. One. Unversed.

“Aaaaahhhh!” I screamed, my voice lost in seconds as I coughed dryly, feeling like I would die painfully, hopelessly this time around.

I felt lost. Trapped. Was this the hell that some of the Light-sided spoke about?

I did not catch it in time but soon, I felt a familiar comfort next to me.

A Bruiser had come and it swiftly picked me up, held me against its body.

I won’t lie, I borrowed into that blob of jelly-like my life depended on it.

“Where…the fuck…were you?” I cursed at it, voice foreign to my ears, mouth parched.

It didn’t respond, of course not, but it began to walk and then point.

When I could finally move, I saw it, there was a ship there, just silently swaying near the opening of the cavern, the full moon looking like a giant behind it. I don’t know how I missed it while I laid there.

“You…want me…there?” I asked and the Bruiser nodded, and then the familiar feeling of teleporting through darkness occurred, and everything faded to black once more.

* * *

“A pirate ship!? You found a pirate ship, just like that!?” Ventus exclaimed, eyes wide and locked onto Vanitas as he spoke.

“Yes dummy, just like that,” Vanitas sighed, one eye open and staring at his other, who was simply vibrating in place, clutching a pillow tightly to his chest. “Now can I please continue?” He asked.

“Mmm-hmm!” Ven replied with a nod, lips sucked in tightly, trying not to let the million-and-one questions blow right out of his mouth.

“So, right…the Bruiser took me into the pirate ship…”

* * *

I didn’t know what was happening after that.

I thought I was dreaming - of death, of life, of Xehanort, of Ventus, of Aqua and TerraandSoraandXemnasandAnsem and…

On and off I opened and closed my eyes, my body felt hot and cold, the swaying of where I was did not help at times, other times it soothed me.

Some moments I saw the Bruiser move about, other times it stood still. At some point, a Medicine Bottle had spawned, I could taste its healing powers going down my throat, poured by the Bruiser. I could smell a Blue Sea-Salt and Red Chili as well, either hovering near me or clinking around.

It was…comforting, and confusing, at the time. The Unversed were all I knew for the longest time, and my rage for them was all-consuming. They came and went like nothing, all because I could not control myself. And yet, the moment I thought they would not come, I panicked, I thought I would die, again.

Yet, there they were - not causing mayhem, not multiplying like rats, not causing me grief and pain.

They were  _helping_ .

And whoever long it took, I awoke.

I found myself bundled up in blankets and furs, laid out on a bed, inside a cabin. I could hear all of the Unversed disappear at the sight of me moving, and I didn’t blame them, didn’t even think of it at the time. When my eyes finally focused, I sat up and got rid of them all, feeling trapped with it all.

And still, my suit was gone, I was bare.

“…you…” I rasped, catching the Bruiser walking in. It lumbered towards me with a chest in its hands and set it next to the bed, opened a window that let the salty air and sunlight in, then as silently as it came, and promptly vanished as well. 

Now alone, and only after some false starts due to my legs not working properly, I stood. 

The cabin was big - the bed only took a corner of it, the rest of it was piles of wooden boxes and crates, a large table, one chair, and a mirror. Small square windows ran across the right of the room, forming a line, water stretched for miles, I could not see the cavern from before from where I was, who knows where I was. 

Who was even piloting the ship? What world was I in? Whose ship was this?

At that moment, however, something else caught my attention: the mirror.

Something was bothering me - my mind was muddled. I thought I knew who I was, I knew the Unversed, but something kept nagging at me.

So I stood there, bare of anything in front of the mirror. I had never seen myself without the suit. I did not think anything of it. If anything, at that moment, I thought the suit  _was_ me. It was only the  _face_ that did not belong. Yet the hair, spiked and dark, and the eyes, the eyes were still  _his._ But this body, this body was new. 

So many things were new, so many things foreign, and they clicked for what they were after much too long; what good were lessons of the mundane when you were looking to reshape the world? But one thing was certain, I was still me, despite the suit being gone.

And yet…

Just…something…

As I looked closer, I remembered…a far, far distant memory…of pain…

…

…

* * *

“Vanitas, what is it?” Ventus asked, popping into Vanitas’ mental bubble, seeing as his face twisted into a scowl. He wanted to reach out, but stopped himself, watching as Red shivered and curled itself into the crook of his master’s neck.

Vanitas then suddenly sat up, dislodging the small Flood, glaring at a spot of the bedroom before turning his eyes to Ven.

He sighed, then began to rub at a spot on his left cheek, over and over, and then turned his face away.

Ventus gasped.

* * *

I realized as I looked steadily into the mirror that something was missing - my body, pale as it was due to the lack of sun, was too perfect.

Unblemished.

Unmarked.

Clean.

And then the memories came back.

I lost air as the memories kept returning, hot pain lashed throughout my body, and it grew and grew as the remnants of my past came to haunt me. “_Stop,__ stop, stop, enough, I yield!”_ My eyes flooded with tears as I felt the slashes of _his_ Keyblade start to adorn my body. “_Please,__ it hurts, it hurts, make it stop!”_ On my back, on my arms, on my chest, on my stomach, on my face. Anywhere and everywhere, I could feel the bite and the sting of that cursed blade. “_Why,__ why, why, why do you do this!?”_ and my screams of pain would not stop.

Huddled in front of that mirror,  _his _ eyes haunting me, sweat and tears running down my face…and just like  _him_ , no mercy was afforded to me. I was not allowed to fall unconscious because of it I simply curled into myself on that dusty floor of this unknown room, my body shaking with the ghosts of pain, and when I could finally look into the mirror once more…

“Well…hello…old friend…” I rasped, staring from behind the glass of my helmet to my reflection. 

The memories had called it all back - my name, my being, it was all carved back into me.

And as Void Gear appeared in my hand, I couldn’t help but feel disgusted.

* * *

Ventus placed his warm hand on Vanitas’ exposed cheek, running his thumb over the sharp line of a scar that started at his jaw and almost to his ear. He noted another, going from his lower lip to his chin. They were slim, like precise cuts by a knife, they even healed perfectly, not a jagged line in sight.

It was terrifying.

He knew without a doubt that Xehanort could and would have done this.

The question, however…

“Why…?” Ventus asked once he found his voice, taking his hands back once Vanitas pinned their eyes together.

“Why? Because he could,” Vanitas laughed bitterly, finding a spot on his covered chest and rubbing it, making Ventus wonder what scar was hidden there. “He needed to train me after all, I didn’t become the awesome badass that I am due to random chance - he broke me, remade me and broke me again until I perfected everything that I would become…” he replied, pinning Ventus with a look that the blond was more familiar with - burning hatred. “And it still wasn’t enough, still you refused me, still you defeated me, all when it was clear that I was stronger, faster and more capable,” he spat, looking like he would strangle Ven right then and there.

And then a sigh escaped his lips, and he fell back onto the bed, Red chittering around before settling on his stomach.

Ven blinked, floored.

“So, anyway, where was I?” Vanitas asked and Ventus was still trying to process how Vanitas had just…just…

“Why am I not a charred body on the floor?” he found himself asking.

“…er…” Vanitas blinked, looking at Ventus as if he had grown a second head.

“You…you just looked ready to murder me! Why aren’t I dodging fireballs right now!?” he asked, eyes wide.

Vanitas chuckled.

“Ven, Venny, Ven,” he shook his head, amused. “Never change,” he chuckled.

Ventus blushed.

“Anyway…”

* * *

It had all returned to me, exactly as it was before. 

However, that one link in my being was missing - Xehanort.

I could not feel the old man.

A feeling started to swell inside me, but just like any of my Unversed, I quelled it - darkness swallowed me soon after.

My first stop? The Keyblade Graveyard.

As desolate and full of sand and dirt as always, I spent days there. All I could see and feel was the heat of the sun, the clink of rusted keychains in the wind and the smell of death. Not one Heartless in sight. The few Unversed I sent out found nothing either. Faint traces of darkness and light, but nothing more.

That feeling swelled within me again, and this time it hurt.

“All right, so…he’s done this before, hidden away…” I mused, leaning over one of the great chasms of the world. “…let' see…”

I needed to know, really needed to know what kind of world I had come back to, and so I decided to travel, just for a little while.

Felt a little wistful for a moment actually - the Graveyard was my home ever since I was created, yet, was nice to know I wasn’t ordered to stay or return, for now.

My first stop? The world of the monsters.

I’d seen that they had someone managed to absorb and create energy with positive emotions, yet my Unversed still dwelled in the dregs of their world; spent, hungry, weak. They came back to me readily and easily. They couldn’t find what they were looking for anymore and I had no reason to be there; I did not want to question the shift in power there.

I was wholly uninterested.

Without thought, I found myself in that kingdom of the Sun - for a wedding of all things. The Princess was marrying her thief of a suitor, and despite what was probably my odd garb, she invited me to partake.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I told her as she twirled around in front of her mirror, playing with her short, brown locks.

“Why not? Food, dancing, music, and fireworks! It’ll be a great time!” she gushed.

“I’m…not the type,” I said again, watching her look at me over her shoulder with a determined glint in her eye.

She reminded me of Aqua…do all women have that look? All women who belonged to the Light side seemed to be a little crazy to me, not that the dark sided ones were any better.

“One drink, one dance, got it?” she demanded, despite it being phrased like a question.

And why not, I thought, it wouldn’t hurt. I had nowhere to be.

That was my first mistake.

Later that night, I did join the dancing - it was horrible, and it took everything I had not to blast every single one of them away, to slash their throats open and make a bloody mess of things. The fact that still, no Unversed came to me made me question everything.

So I decided to have some ale - thing is, that meant removing my helmet.

“I see!” I suddenly heard her say, Miss Light-On-Her-Feet had come from across the square where she was dancing with freaking Eugene to slam her hands on my table. She stared at me intently, as if looking for something. And then twirled away without letting me get a word in.

I decided I liked Ale that day.

At some point, however, I watched - I watched all these normal, boring, insignificant people just enjoy their night. Families, friends, and lovers. Gathered under lanterns of flame and the stars in the sky, unknowing of the catastrophe that almost befell them all. Had the Keyblades of Light lost, had their Princess not have the power that she held inside, they would have all fallen to darkness. Yet, here they were, living, breathing, living and laughing…

And I…

“I’ve decided, you should smile more,” her voice knocked me out of my thoughts and I came back to myself, staring at the glowing bride. “It’s completely different, you know?” she whispered, staring into my bare face as if trying to tell me a mutual secret. “You glow too when you smile, it’s much more charming though,” she giggled.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about Princess,” I spat out, drinking the last of my final ale. “Have a nice life,” I added, opening a portal for me.

“Don’t be a stranger, Grouchy!” Eugene called out.

“Fuck you, Eugene!” I called out.

His face was priceless - the Princess laughing in shock was worth it.

* * *

“What is it now?” Vanitas growled, hating to be interrupted again when he was finally willing enough to spill his guts.

Ventus had been vibrating next to him incessantly, eyes wider than he’d ever seen it. He didn’t want to even try to decode his facial expression.

“Spit it out already,” he sighed, violently pulling the pillow away from the tight grasp he had on it.

“You appeared in front of people!? And drank alcohol!? And didn’t…I’m just…”

Vanitas glared.

“What? Shocked that I can act in a civil manner? So unlike a monster? That I’m not going around spreading death and destruction so you can come in like the fucking little Light Savior, huh?!” Vanitas yelled, his temper flaring as he got back into Ventus’ face.

Both of them forgot however that space was finite, and in the course of Vanitas angrily crawling towards Ventus due to the insult to his person, he had pushed him into a corner.

“Whoa!” and so Ventus found himself on his back and ass, legs in the air and wind knocked out of him.

And Vanitas laughed - both mocking and amused, and Ven couldn’t help but marvel at it again, his chest fluttering.

He needed to get himself together.

“ _I can’t keep doing this to him,_ ” he thought.

“I’m sorry, okay, but can you blame me?” he asked his ceiling.

“Yes, I can,” the ceiling that was soon covered by Vanitas’ face replied. “You little fucktards are all about second chances and shit, yeah?” he added.

“I guess,” Ven sighed, snickering at the eye roll he received in response. “_Not__ ruined it yet, then_,” he told himself. “Can you help me up?” he asked.

“I don’t know, should I?” his black-haired other replied, staring at the hand outstretched to him before clasping it and easily tugging the blond back unto the bed.

“Thanks,” Ventus replied against the mattress before turning to sit up, watching the one who calls himself his Darkness get comfortable again.

“Can I continue without interruptions this time?” he asked.

Ventus nodded, finding his trusty pillow again to clutch and grab.

He would behave. He would be silent. 

He hoped.

* * *

After that, I found myself in Arendelle. A very similar type of people there - happy, peppy and friendly. I was quick to hate it, to be honest.

Being slightly drunk probably didn’t help matters either.

And of course, having been found by the Queen of the said kingdom while I puked my guts out wasn’t pretty either.

I had to appreciate that these Princesses of Light were tactful, however - she only paused and stuttered at my face for a microsecond before asking me if I was all right.

“Just peachy…weddings and alcohol, you know?” I told her.

She laughed.

“I might have an idea or two,” she said. “I do believe fresh air might be in order, would you care to escort me?” she asked.

And while it sounded nice enough, the expression on her face told the story: she wanted to keep an eye on me.

So, I did.

I had so many questions about her powers - you don’t find beings like her often in lands where humans are the norm. Princesses of Light normally don’t have access to their power either, it’s innate. Yet she could form anything from Ice with ease.

“I have no true idea myself, but Anna and I, that’s my sister, we are discussing things day by day, I’m training myself on control…I do wish I knew, however…” she said, apparently happy to have someone to speak to about her plight that was a stranger.

“Sister? Why exactly am I here trekking through this with you and not her?” I asked, almost losing my leg to a hidden branch within a bank of snow.

“Even siblings need breaks from each other from time to time,” she said, and she gave me That Look, the same one the other Princess gave me. “We need time to ourselves, even from our loved ones, the important thing is, however, to not isolate yourself or to run away, it hurts both of you,” she said.

I didn’t know what she meant, but it calmed me all the same - hell, I didn’t know that I needed it.

“And what exactly are you needing from up here?” I asked.

“Would you not want to visit an ice castle you made all by yourself on occasion?” she asked, an excited smile on her face.

Fuck yeah, I would.

After seeing every nook and cranny of that ice castle, I left, but she gave me another piece of unsolicited advice before I did.

“Take your time but don’t be a stranger for too long - I bet they miss you too, in their way.”

“Heh, lady, there’s no one in these worlds who would,” I told her.

She just shook her head at me, allowing me to portal her home before I vanished again.

I wasn’t sure where to go next - the worlds didn’t exactly feel like they were overflowing with pockets of negativity, and I wasn’t about to jump to every single one out there. The two places in my mind that could yield answers were out of the question: Ansem and his crew would attack me on sight, and the Twilight kids would rally the old guard to also kick my ass. 

The amount of wise old men who could give me answers were slim at best.

And then I remembered - there was one left.

So I crashed at the door to their Tower and banged on it until they let me inside.

I still think back on it with a bit of fear, if I’m honest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The formatting and such for posting always kicks me in the shin and throws me off. Anyone have tips? Cuz I'm always fighting with how this ends up looking for you all. Feedback and kudos and comments always appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> Any feedback and notes and comments will be appreciated! I have no Beta either any of that particular brand will also be good!


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